The East Anglia Region of the Secular Franciscan Order
April 22, 2026
Sr Catherine recounts how the Community of Our Lady of Walsingham led a parish mission at St Edmund’s Church, fostering renewal in faith through teaching, school visits, pastoral outreach and prayer as part of the Diocese’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
As part of the various initiatives to mark the 50th anniversary of the foundation of our Diocese, we were invited by Bishop Peter Collins to lead a number of parish missions across East Anglia. Our first mission took place at St Edmund’s Catholic Church from 22 February to 1 March.
As part of the mission, we gave two talks each day, one in the morning and the same talk repeated in the evening. Each day addressed a different aspect of our theme, “All Will Be Well: Journeying to the Fullness of Life.” We explored what it means to live out our faith in the ordinary events of daily life; how to approach our life of faith in times of suffering and difficulty; how to cultivate a deep and personal relationship with God; how to nurture relationships with others; and what it means to share our faith with those around us.
During the day, the sisters also visited pupils at the two local Catholic schools, St Edmund’s Primary School and St Benedict’s Catholic School. There, we spoke about our life as religious sisters, shared something of Walsingham, and responded to many thoughtful and engaging questions from the pupils. We also visited some of the sick and housebound parishioners who were unable to attend the talks, and even offered a rosary-making workshop.
At the heart of the mission was prayer, with a daily Holy Hour of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament followed by Mass. We are especially grateful to the men’s group for facilitating an all-night Adoration Vigil during the final weekend of the mission. We were also privileged to view some of the church’s beautiful historical vestments, for which we are most thankful.
It was a great gift to be present within such a vibrant and welcoming parish community. We look forward to meeting many more people at our forthcoming retreats and missions taking place over the coming year. Please keep an eye on our website for details of upcoming events: www.walsinghamcommunity.org/events.
